Page 42 of Found by the Pack

She blinks slowly, then nods. “Yeah. The apartment.”

“Can you tell me what month it is?”

She frowns, thinks for a beat. “October?”

“Good,” I say. “Drink some water. Then you can sleep again.”

She does as she’s told, barely able to keep her eyes open.

The second check is mine.

I sit beside the sofa, watch her breathe for a minute before gently nudging her arm. Her eyes peel open, pupils sluggish but responsive.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Still here,” she whispers.

“Good.”

She’s tougher than she looks.

At midnight, it’s Gabe’s turn. He sits on the coffee table, rubbing his jaw before waking her up with a careful touch to her shoulder.

“You alive?”

She cracks an eye open. “Just barely.”

“You’re doing fine,” he says, softer than I expect. “Just one more check before you can crash fully.”

“Deal,” she mutters.

Then she drifts off again, and Gabe lingers a second longer than he should, studying her.

“She really doesn’t trust anyone, does she?” he says to me, low enough not to wake her.

“Not yet.”

Gabe nods. “We’ll earn it.”

The storm rages outside, wind clattering against the windows, but inside it’s warm. Safe. Familiar.

I sit in the armchair, watching the rain blur against the glass, and I know without a doubt: we’re already in this. Whether we meant to be or not. And we’re not letting her fall again.

Not on our watch.

CHAPTER 9

Sadie

Iwake up to someone gently tapping my shoulder.

“Sadie,” a voice murmurs. “Sadie, can you open your eyes for me?”

My eyelids flutter. Everything aches. My head pulses like it’s got its own heartbeat. The light is too bright, the room too warm.

I blink once. Twice. Shepard’s face comes into view, close but not too close.

“Hey,” he says softly. “Can you tell me your name?”